The new suckler grant scheme allocation is very welcome but the apple is too high on the tree so to speak, and the terms and conditions are turning a lot of farmers against the scheme. Farmers are expected to fill in more and more paper work with regard to issues like the length of season grazing and carbon output, which is taking the agricultural sector down a very dangerous road.
Farmers who have been raising quality suckler animals for 40 and 50 years are being asked to go on a course when the reality is that they could themselves give the course and know far more about this than the instructors There are also increased fees to others to carry out work that farmers used to do themselves in terms of planners and agents etc. Another major problem is with bull breeds and the five starring of bulls. That needs to be relaxed as farmers will be aware that they can often get quality animals from two and three star bulls. Breeding farmers will also say that often the smallest cow in the yard will be the best cow.
It would appear that science is over ruling the knowledge of farmers and I am urging the Minister to get away from the carbon/climate approach because we are heading down the wrong road on this and it will come back to haunt us in time